System, method and device for providing a mobile application across smartphone platforms to enable consumer connectivity and control of media

ABSTRACT

A system, method and device for providing a mobile application across smart phone platforms to enable consumer connectivity and control of media. The viewing experience of the individual is improved by the added control and the advertising experience is enhanced by ensuring advertisements are relevant and actionable. A system for providing interactivity between a mobile device and content includes a content provider providing content for presentation on a display device and a mobile device configured with a media management module communicating to provide user interactivity with the content. The media management module enables individualized consumer media services for the mobile device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 12/963,945,filed Dec. 9, 2010, and assigned U.S. Pat. No. 9,277,292, whichapplication is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure relates in general to the management of media byconsumers, and more particularly to a system, method and device forproviding a mobile application across smart phone platforms to enableconsumer connectivity and control of media.

BACKGROUND

Currently viewers of TV and other media have no intuitive way to collectand organize product opportunities as they are presented to them. Inaddition, consumers do not have an electronic method of organizing thosepromotions on a retail level.

As the smart phone achieves commonplace and customary status in thelives of individual consumers around the world, it simultaneouslyintroduces the ability to radically disrupt the traditional media model.That model previously consisted of a one-way broadcast to the massmarket with limited understanding and no interactivity. Now a moreoptimal model that is bi-directional, focused on an individualconsumer's needs and desires, and permits new consumption behaviors, andwhich may be discretely controlled by the entities who own this“channel” to the consumer is possible. Individuals are not able toconnect their smart phones to their entertainment media viewingexperiences, although a very high percentage of users are using theirphone in all other aspects of their day-to-day lives. The mobile deviceis no longer just a way to receive or make voice communications withothers, it is a way to communicate in short messaging (texting), sendand receive email, enjoy video while on the move, play games andorganize their lives (thru applications). But in today's world, userscannot effectively manage their media thru this now ubiquitous device.

There are over twenty million unique smart phone subscribers in thecurrent market. Smart phones possess the ability to run third partyapplications in a mobile device with a wireless and/or Internet dataconnection. Smart phones are overtaking the existing install base asmobile provider contracts renew. All of the research to date confirmsthat the smart phone will dominate in the foreseeable future and providea reliable platform for the software product itself.

Mainstream consumer interests are not rapidly adopting high-endtelevisions and cable set-top boxes due to cost and limited additionalbenefits provided by the high cost. For cable companies themselves, thecost of the existing cable set-top boxes is one of their largestinstalled assets. The lowest common denominator for the mainstream is atypical television (regardless of screen type) and infrared remotecontrol. This television and infrared remote arrangement will dominateinto the foreseeable future and provide the base requirement for theproduct environment.

Consumers are increasingly fickle and spend greater amounts ofrecreation time on the Internet with social networking. Consumers wantrecommendations and variety and ease of use. They want to participate,communicate with friends, and buy when it fancies them. Further, theywant to do everything reasonably possible on the smart phoneplatform—from banking, to map navigation, to newspapers, to weight lossapplications.

Accordingly, there is a need for a system, method and device forproviding a mobile application across smart phone platforms to enableconsumer connectivity and control of media.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To overcome the limitations described above, and to overcome otherlimitations that will become apparent upon reading and understanding thepresent specification; embodiments for a system, method and device forproviding a mobile application across smart phone platforms to enableconsumer connectivity and control of media are disclosed.

The above-described problems are solved by providing a device thatimproves the viewing experience for the individual and enhances theadvertising experience by ensuring advertisements are relevant andactionable.

In one embodiment, a system for providing interactivity between a mobiledevice and content includes a content provider for providing content forpresentation on a display device and a mobile device configured with amedia management module for communicating to provide user interactivitywith the content provided by the content provider and presented on thedisplay device.

In another embodiment, mobile device for controlling user interactionwith content is disclosed. The mobile device includes memory for storingdata and a processor for processing the data, the processor furtherbeing configured to provide a media management module for communicatingto provide user interactivity with content provided by a contentprovider and presented on a display device.

In another embodiment, method for providing user interactivity withcontent provided by a content provider and presented on a display deviceusing a mobile device is disclosed. The method includes initiating amedia management module on a mobile device, presenting content on adisplay device and using the media management module on the mobiledevice to provide user interactivity with the content presented on thedisplay device.

In another embodiment, a computer readable medium including executableinstructions which, when executed by a processor, provides userinteractivity through a mobile device with content provided by a contentprovider and presented on a display device is disclosed. Theinstructions executed by the processor for providing user interactivitythrough a mobile device with content provided by a content provider andpresented on a display device include providing a media managementmodule on a mobile device to enable communication to support userinteractivity with content provided by a content provider and presentedon a display device, initiating the media management module on themobile device, presenting content on the display device and using themedia management module on the mobile device to communicate with theconditional access device to provide user interactivity with the contentpresented on the display device.

These and various other advantages and features of novelty are pointedout with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and form a parthereof. However, for a better understanding of the disclosedembodiments, the advantages, and the objects obtained, reference shouldbe made to the drawings which form a further part hereof, and toaccompanying descriptive matter, in which there are illustrated anddescribed specific examples of the disclosed embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numbers representcorresponding parts throughout:

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram illustrating a cabletelevision/services system architecture that serves as an exemplaryoperating environment for the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a simple block diagram of the media management applicationsetup from a subscriber's view according to one embodiment;

FIG. 3 shows the feature sets of media management enabled through mobiledevices according to one embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a simplified block diagram illustrating the media managementarchitecture according to one embodiment;

FIG. 5 shows a logical flow of the media management application from theback office view according to one embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method for providing user interactivity withcontent provided by a content provider and presented on a display devicethrough use of a mobile device according to an embodiment; and

FIG. 7 illustrates a suitable computing environment for implementing asystem as described above in FIGS. 1-6 according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a mobileapplication that can be implemented on multiple smart phone platformsand which enables consumer to connect a mobile device to their preferredTV viewing experience. A media management module enables individualizedconsumer media services to a mobile device. The media management moduleis downloaded to the mobile device and subscribers are guided through aregistration process. Configuration may be controlled to identify thesubscriber associated with the mobile device, and what mediaenvironments the subscriber wants to control (STB, analog TV, etc.). Themobile device may also detect other devices that may be used with theprovided services, e.g., a STB, a DVD player, a DVR, etc. The device mayalso identify other remote control devices. Profile preferences arestored so a guide may be produced that is specific to the subscriber.Advanced customization features of the mobile application are providedacross the smart phone platform. The mobile device may not only act as aremote control device, but may also be configured to enable targetedadvertising and TV-commerce opportunities based on knowledge of consumeractivity.

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram illustrating a cabletelevision/services system 100 (hereafter referred to as “CATV”)architecture that serves as an exemplary operating environment for thepresent invention. Referring now to FIG. 1, digital and analog videoprogramming, information content and interactive television services areprovided via a hybrid fiber coax (HFC) network 115 to a television set120 for consumption by a cable television/services system customer. Asis known to those skilled in the art, HFC networks 115 combine bothoptical fiber and coaxial cable lines. Typically, optical fiber runsfrom the cable head end 110 to neighborhoods of 500 to 2,000 customers.Coaxial cable runs from the optical fiber feeders to each customer.According to embodiments of the present invention, the functionality ofthe HFC network 115 allows for efficient bidirectional data flow betweenthe client-side set-top box 105 and the server-side application server140 of the present invention.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the CATV system 100is in the form of a distributed client-server computing system forproviding video and data flow across the HFC network 115 betweenserver-side services providers (e.g., cable television/servicesproviders) via a server-side head end 110 and a client-side customer viaa client-side set-top box (STB) 105 functionally connected to a customerreceiving device, such as the television set 120. As is understood bythose skilled in the art, CATV systems 100 may provide a variety ofservices across the HFC network 115 including traditional digital andanalog video programming, telephone services, high speed Internetaccess, video-on-demand, and information services.

On the client side of the CATV system 100, digital and analog videoprogramming and digital and analog data are provided to the customertelevision set 120 via the set-top box (STB) 105. Interactive televisionservices that allow a customer to input data to the CATV system 100likewise are provided by the STB 105. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the STB105 is a multipurpose computing device having a computer processor,memory, and an input/output mechanism. The input/output mechanismreceives input from server-side processes via the HFC network 115 andfrom customers via input devices such as the remote control device 128and the keyboard 130. The remote control device 128 and the keyboard 130may communicate with the STB 105 via a suitable communication transportsuch as the infrared connection 132. The remote control device 128 mayinclude a biometric input module 129. The STB 105 also includes a videoprocessor for processing and providing digital and analog videosignaling to the television set 120 via a cable communication transport134. A multi-channel tuner is provided for processing video and data toand from the STB 105 and the server-side head end system 110, describedbelow.

The STB 105 also includes an operating system 122 for directing thefunctions of the STB 105 in conjunction with a variety of clientapplications 126. For example, if a client application 125 requires anews flash from a third-party news source to be displayed on thetelevision 120, the operating system 122 may cause the graphicsfunctionality and video processor of the STB 105, for example, to outputthe news flash to the television 120 at the direction of the clientapplication 126 responsible for displaying news items.

Because a variety of different operating systems 122 may be utilized bya variety of different brands and types of set-top boxes, a middlewarelayer 124 is provided to allow a given software application to beexecuted by a variety of different operating systems. According to anembodiment of the present invention, the middleware layer 124 mayinclude a set of application programming interfaces (APIs) that areexposed to client applications 126 and operating systems 122 that allowthe client applications to communicate with the operating systemsthrough common data calls understood via the API set. As describedbelow, a corresponding middleware layer is included on the server sideof the CATV system 100 for facilitating communication between theserver-side application server and the client-side STB 105. According toone embodiment of the present invention; the middleware layer 142 of theserver-side application server and the middleware layer 124 of theclient-side STB 105 format data passed between the client side andserver side according to the Extensible Markup Language (XML).

The set-top box 105 passes digital and analog video and data signalingto the television 120 via a one-way communication transport 134. The STB105 may receive video and data from the server side of the CATV system100 via the HFC network 115 through a video/data downlink and data via adata downlink. The STB 105 may transmit data from the client side of theCATV system 100 to the server side of the CATV system 100 via the HFCnetwork 115 via one data uplink. The video/data downlink is an “in band”downlink that allows for digital and analog video and data signalingfrom the server side of the CATV system 100 through the HFC network 115to the set-top box 105 for use by the STB 105 and for distribution tothe television set 120. As is understood by those skilled in the art,the “in band” signaling space operates within a predetermined frequencyrange, e.g., 54 MHz-1 GHz. Those skilled in the art will recognize that“in-band” signaling is a term that refers to the distribution of data inthe same carriers that are used to distribute video signals. Thesignaling space in the predetermined frequency range of the “in band”signaling is generally divided into channels in which may be transmitteda single analog signal or a greater number of digital signals.

The data downlink and the data uplink, illustrated in FIG. 1, betweenthe HFC network 115 and the set-top box 105 comprise “out of band” datalinks. As is understand by those skilled in the art, the “out of band”frequency range generally lies in a frequency range that is selected tobe significantly different from the frequency band for the “in band”signaling used to distribute video signals. According to embodiments ofthe present invention, data flow between the client-side set-top box 105and the server-side application server 140 is typically passed throughthe “out of band” data links. Alternatively, an “in band” data may beprovided in an “in band” channel into which a data feed may be processedfrom the server-side application server 140 through the HFC network 115to the client-side STB 105. Operation of data transport betweencomponents of the CATV system 100, described with reference to FIG. 1,is well known to those skilled in the art.

Referring still to FIG. 1, the head end 110 of the CATV system 100 ispositioned on the server side of the CATV system and includes hardwareand software systems responsible for originating and managing contentfor distributing through the HFC network 115 to client-side STBs 105 forpresentation to customers via televisions 120. As described above, anumber of services may be provided by the CATV system 100, includingdigital and analog video programming, interactive television services,telephone services, video-on-demand services, targeted advertising, andprovision of information content.

The application server 140 is a general-purpose computing systemoperative to assemble and manage data sent to and received from theclient-side set-top box 105 via the HFC network 115. As described abovewith reference to the set-top box 105, the application server 140includes a middleware layer 142 for processing and preparing data fromthe head end of the CATV system 100 for receipt and use by the client.For example, the application server 140 via the middleware layer 142 mayobtain data from third-party services 146 via the Internet 140 fortransmitting to a customer through the HFC network 115. For example, aweather report from a third-party weather service may be downloaded bythe application server via the Internet 144. When the application server140 receives the downloaded weather report, the middleware layer 142 maybe utilized to format the weather report for receipt and use by thesubscriber.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, data obtained andmanaged by the middleware layer 142 of the application server 140 may beformatted according to the Extensible Markup Language and passed to theset-top box 105 through the HFC network 115 where the XML-formatted datamay be utilized by a client application 126 in concert with themiddleware layer 124, as described above. As should be appreciated bythose skilled in the art, a variety of third-party services data,including news data, weather data, sports data and other informationcontent may be obtained by the application server 140 via distributedcomputing environments such as the Internet 144 for provision tocustomers via the HFC network 115 and the set-top box 105.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the applicationserver 140 may obtain customer support services data, including billingdata, information on customer work order status, answers to frequentlyasked questions, services provider contact information, and the likefrom data services 160 for provision to the customer via an interactivetelevision session. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the services provider dataservices 160 may include a number of services operated by the servicesprovider of the CATV system 100 including data on a given customer.

A billing system 162 may include information such as a customer's name,street address, business identification number, Social Security number,credit history, and information regarding services and productssubscribed to by the customer. According to embodiments of the presentinvention, the billing system 162 may also include billing data forservices and products subscribed to by the customer for bill processingbilling presentment and payment receipt.

A customer information database 168 may include general informationabout customers such as place of employment, business address, businesstelephone number and demographic information such as age, gender,educational level, and the like. The customer information database 168may also include information on pending work orders for services orproducts ordered by the customer. The customer information database 168may also include general customer information such as answers tofrequently asked customer questions and contact information for variousservice provider offices/departments. As should be understood, thisinformation may be stored in a variety of disparate databases operatedby the cable services provider.

A cross-platform smart phone mobile application server 164 may containinformation such as electronic mail addresses, high-speed Internetaccess subscription information and electronic mail usage data. Anauthentication system 166 may include information such as secure usernames and passwords utilized by customers for access to networkservices. As should be understood by those skilled in the art, thedisparate data services systems 162, 164, 166, 168 are illustrated as acollection of data services for purposes of example only. The exampledata services systems comprising the data services 160 may operate asseparate data services systems, which communicate with a web servicessystem (described below) along a number of different communication pathsand according to a number of different communication protocols.

Referring still to FIG. 1, a web services system 150 is illustratedbetween the application server 140 and the data services 160. Accordingto embodiments of the present invention, the web services system 150serves as a collection point for data requested from each of thedisparate data services systems comprising the data services 160.According to embodiments of the present invention, when the applicationserver 140 requires customer services data from one or more of the dataservices 160, the application server 140 passes a data query to the webservices system 150. The web services system formulates a data query toeach of the available data services systems for obtaining any requireddata for a requesting customer as identified by a set-top boxidentification associated with the customer. The web services system 150serves as an abstraction layer between the various data services systemsand the application server 140. That is, the application server 140 isnot required to communicate with the disparate data services systems,nor is the application server 140 required to understand the datastructures or data types utilized by the disparate data servicessystems. The web services system 150 is operative to communicate witheach of the disparate data services systems for obtaining necessarycustomer data. The customer data obtained by the web services system isassembled and is returned to the application server 140 for ultimateprocessing via the middleware layer 142, as described above.

FIG. 2 shows a simple block diagram of the media management applicationsetup from a subscriber's view 200 according to one embodiment. A mobiledevice 210, such as a smart phone, IPod, Archos Internet tablet, tabletPC, mobile slate device, etc., may be configured with a media managementapplication or module 220. The media management application 220 supportsa “shopping cart” type model where a consumer would pick the shows ofinterest, and share general preferences for viewing recommendations.Based on demographic data (zip code and local network provider), theuser can immediately target what channels and shows are available tothem and when. Once the user tells the product what sort of TV theypossess, the smart phone can then act as the remote control. As part ofthe product, each smart phone would get an infrared converter (from WiFior Bluetooth which smart phones are enabled for) to handle wirelesstranslation. The IR device needs to blend seamlessly with the smartphone running the application. It should be capable of being ‘remoted’from the phone (placed in cradle in viewing room or in the home theatercontrol room). The infrared television codes for most TV systems aregenerally available and can be quickly configured.

Accordingly, the user is able to easily download a media managementapplication 220 to their smart phone 210. In addition, the user willconfigure the video devices that are in the home or domain with theintuitive interface 230, personalize their configuration for theirparticular preferences 240, and connect to social network groups 250 toshare media preferences, e.g., TV and movie preferences, or subscribe toa group for suggested content. It must be easy for customers to settheir preferred channels, media sources, and devices to control.Customers need to opt-in on services to receive suggestions or groupsuggestions. In addition, a very clear privacy policy needs to be madeavailable to customers.

The IR portion 230 of the media management application must be very easyto configure. One way for this device to be easily configured is for thecustomer to enter in all of the device models that they have and theback-office could look up their IR signals. An alternative way would beto put the application in “learn mode” and have the consumer use theirtraditional remotes to control their in home devices. Once theapplication has listened to the IR in the room, it will look up alldevices that use those captured IR signals. The user will have to answera series of questions so the application can figure out what devices arein the room—“did your TV just turn off?” Once a careful list ofquestions and responses are collected, the IR component will beautomatically programmed.

The application and corresponding hardware may be provided to thesubscriber without charge. Monetization may be achieved throughadvertising displayed on the mobile smart phone. Accordingly, a broaddeployment is preferable because a single service provider may not reacha sufficient size of audience to generate a profit. In addition, aspecialized application 222 may also be loaded onto the smart-device tosupport additional functions.

FIG. 3 shows the feature sets of media management enabled through mobiledevices (e.g., a smart phone or other G3 enabled device) 300 accordingto one embodiment. Mobile devices may be configured to be used as aremote control for your TV viewing experience 310. They may then be usedto connect media to direct fulfillment opportunities that is presentedon that media 320. In addition, video media may connect directly to acommerce opportunity 330. Each of these has their very distinctadvantages that video media marketing has been trying to take advantageof for many years. Creating a return path between the mobile device anda nationally available data repository will allow content providers andadvertisers the ability to measure the opportunity and reach of theirmessaging at an individual basis instead of being limited tohousehold-level tracking (via Nielsen).

Subscribers may use their mobile device 310 to control the TV, playbackdevice (DVD, blue-ray player) or cable-box, etc. The personalized guideon the smart phone will not only control their TV service provider'scontent, but personal content, Internet-based streamed content orlocally stored content (a DVD or Netflix downloaded content). Imaginesitting down in the evening to view TV entertainment and opening anapplication on your cell phone that will not only tell you what is onyour 12 most favorite network programmers, but will suggest othercontent as communicated in your user profile preferences. The softwarewould also be able to infer crossover referrals to content that the userforgot to add to their profile. It is also possible to have otherpersons sitting in the same room to have a different set of suggestions.A different person in the room may notice that a new movie is availableon the family multi-disc DVD player giving them an equal voice the TVviewing options. As a result of this level of information beingcontrolled by the wireless device, the media smart phone device willhave invaluable information in its data base that could be leveraged orsold to third parties. The company would keep all of this information incentralized data bases and make it readily available upon command.

The second feature set 320 of this product would allow networks to knowwhen subscribers are viewing their content and offer interactivity toeither the show or ads in the programming. Consider that an individualhas tuned to the popular show American Idol. There will be direct votingopportunities in real-time during the show or the media managementsoftware could understand that the individual is watching the show timeshifted from DVR and as such allow voting while they watch therecording. This level of knowledge could be leveraged in severalmethods:

-   -   Allow networks to enable polling during the live broadcast of a        show.    -   Promotion of next week's show or some other ABC content.    -   Provide different promotions for the real-time viewing of the        show verses the time delayed for some sponsor.    -   Provide information to the network to inform them the number of        time shifted viewers.    -   Request for information fulfillment should be available (Coupons        or product info—this could be used for the pharmaceutical        industry).

The third feature set 330 enables direct connection of your videoconsumption experience with opportunities of direct purchase. It couldbe as simple as an SMS keyword for ordering a book based on an ad in thenetwork stream from Amazon or something more complicated like thesoftware noticing you are starting a movie off your blue-ray on a Fridaynight and offering a pizza from your local pizza shop.

FIG. 4 is a simplified block diagram illustrating the media managementarchitecture 400 according to one embodiment. Content producers createprogramming and content that is distributed through content distributorsto broadcasters, cable and other network operators for sale anddistribution to viewers. In FIG. 4, content 402, whether from contentgenerators, content providers, or other sources, is provided to adistribution network 420. The distribution network 420 may be providedby cable operators, satellite operators, telecommunication operators,etc. using satellite and/or terrestrial broadcast networks. Herein,content provider will be used in a general sense to refer to any entityinvolved with providing content to a consumer.

The content 402 may be provided to consumers that use a wide variety ofdifferent devices to watch and/or listen to the delivered content 402.The content 402 may be provided through a conditional access device 430,such as a set-top box, to enable the network operators to chargesubscribers for the content 402. However, a conditional access device isnot necessary. For example, the content may be viewed on an in-homedisplay device 450, such as a television, a mobile device 410, anin-home personal computer (PC) 412, etc. The mobile device 410 may beconfigured with a media management module 411 and the mobile device 410may be registered with a network operator that provides the distributionnetwork 420. Thus, the mobile device 410 may therefore interact with theconditional access device 430. The signaling may also be provided viaWiFi or over a cellular network.

The media management module 411 enables the mobile device 410 to accessthe conditional access device 430 to view content 402. Through the mediamanagement module 411, subscribers may manage their media consumptionand experiences.

The mobile device 410 may have access to a wireless network 475, such asa cellular telecommunications network via a wireless signal 415. Themobile device may include a WiFi transceiver (not shown) to establishWiFi communication 440 with a repeater 435 (IR device), which in turncommunicates with STBs 430 via an IR signal 442. The WiFi signal 440 isconverted to an IR signal 442 that is used to control access to contentfor the subscriber's TV 450. The mobile device 410 tracks the programthe subscriber is watching through the functional relationship with theSTB 430 through communication using the IR device 435. The back office460 gathers and maintains subscriber related intelligence. For example,the back office 460 may determine that the subscriber is associated witha subscription plan and identify the current environment of thesubscriber.

The back office 460 media channel content information may be gathered asit is common domain information, i.e., what is being shown on whatchannel at what time. Once the system has identified this type ofinformation via external systems 470, which may include third partiessuch as an advertiser 472, wherein advertisements may placed on aparticular program in an overlay. The external systems 470 also mayinclude a network back office 473 and media sources 474, such as TribuneMedia Services.

As a specific example, a subscriber may be in the living room watchingprogram A using the mobile device 410 as a remote control device. Thetraditional advertising may not necessarily be playing in the segmentswith program A. A different type of targeted advertising, i.e.,supplemental information, may be provided to the mobile device 410depending on what type of advertisement the consumer has been determinedto react to. Additionally, a particular advertisement may be shownthrough the STB 430 and the subscriber may access their mobile device410 to access the Web Interface Server 490 provided for downloading abrochure associated with the product shown in the advertisement. Thus,the mobile device 410 and content shown on the subscriber's television450 may be synchronized or correlated. The mobile device 410 may act asan interactive guide without having to launch an interactive guide onthe television 450 using an overlay to program A. A phone applicationserver 484 couples the smart phone or mobile device to the back officeto allow a user to establish preferences associated with the mobiledevice, process user data to analyze preferences associated with themobile device and to provide recommendations based on the identifiedtendencies.

A return path from the STB 430 to the back office is unnecessary forthis specific example. Additionally, distribution network 420 may bebypassed when the mobile device is used to respond to any advertisementthereby enabling these services to be provided and/or licensedindependently. The entity that processes the advertisement response canbe a centralized clearing house, which may be independent of the serviceprovider.

Information associated with a subscriber is maintained in the backoffice 460. For example, when a subscriber changes the channel, thisinformation may be stored at a central warehouse 480. The storedinformation is made available by business roles and as part of arecommendation engine. Information may be provided to the subscriberbased on past viewing information. The subscriber may be presented withinformation that is provided by an advertiser based on the storedinformation or the recommendation engine may provide suggestions basedon the stored information. In addition, sales/research 462, traffic 464,and content/asset management 466 information may be maintained at thecentral warehouse 480.

True synchronization may be provided to identify what the subscriber iswatching. For example, content identifiers, such as high frequency audiotones, may be embedded into the signal. Then, if the subscriber's phoneis turned on, the microphone can listen for the high frequency tones andidentify the content that the subscriber is watching. A relationship maythus be associated with what is going on in media consumption by thesubscriber.

Other identification methods and systems may be used. For example, audiosignal may be blocked. Codes, such as 3D codes, may be used. Further, acell phone may be used to capture a barcode that is used to identify anobject associated with the barcode.

A message processing server 482 may also be provided to receive TXT orSMS messages and to process the received messages. In this instance, thesmart-phone 410 does not need to use its Internet capabilities. Acommercial for an upcoming show may provide information to the user ofthe smart phone detailing instructions for the user to record a show bytexting “CSI040” to MYDVR (69387), or to request more informationregarding a product by texting PRODUCT to ADINFO (234636), etc. Themessage processing server 482 correlates the TXT message to accountinformation maintained at the back office 460 based on identification ofthe transmitting device. The message processing server 482 may thenresponds accordingly. For example, a message may be transmitted by themessage processing server 482 so that the show is scheduled on theuser's DVR, provides confirmation to the customer, e.g. via text oremail message, and/or responds with any error information, e.g. informsthe user that registration and/or subscription is required for thisservice. A specialized application may also be provided on thesmart-device to support additional functions (see FIG. 2).

FIG. 5 shows a logical flow provided by the media management applicationfrom the back office view 500 according to one embodiment. In FIG. 5,the back office 510 includes a billing/reporting module 570, a guide andapplication module 540, an advertisement manager 550, an advertisementbuying/proposal tool 554, a phone manager 542, and a media sourceinterface 544, e.g., Tribune inbound interface. The external systems 502include advertisement systems 504, phone systems 506 and media sources508. Advertisement systems 504 include web sources 520 and anagency/advertiser network 522. The phone systems 506 includes a phoneback office 514 and the media source 508 includes a source forlistings/media 535, such as the Tribune Media.

The smart phone application connects with the central back office 510systems to establish an individual consumer profile setting contentviewing, media, marketing, coupon, and purchasing preferences. Manyhomes will have more than one cell phone and/or mobile device, and eachmobile device will have associated profile data such that each mobiledevice may be targeted differently. Each mobile device supplies the backoffice systems 510 with a level of information that the user is willingto provide to the services provider. The guide and application module540 can then use the preferences to identify tendencies and begin toprovide recommendations.

The consumer uses the smart phone application (via Phone Connection 530)to communicate with the guide and applications module 540, ultimatelyviewing a “what's on” guide and a recommendations list. Additionally,consumers can then browse the guide on their smart phone to select theirshows and schedule them for future viewing. Media listings for all mediasources (i.e., Tribune media 535 for cable/Satellite TV, downloadablemovie sources, etc) must be accessed and locally stored for thecustomer's media experience.

The central Ad Manager 550 then begins pushing relevant advertising andthe ability to impulse purchase goods and services being shown ontelevision. The advertising may be shown in real time and may enable“1-Click” ordering. Television browsing is provided through a centralWeb-based Sources 545 function that is enabled via the media managementmodule in the mobile device to allow the customer to shop, connect withfriends via 3^(rd) party social networking sources (i.e., FaceBook,Twitter, My Space, etc.), use a convenient media organizer to watchtheir favorite shows in real time with the show, etc. Mobile content andon-screen content are then integrated under one basic platform whichreadily combines lowest common denominators for phones, televisions, andnetwork programming.

For example, a content provider, such as movie studio, may provide apromotion announcing the release of a new movie showing at a theatre oravailable for purchase. A subscriber may access an online ticketprovider to purchase a movie ticket for the new release. Alternatively,the subscriber may navigate to an online commerce source 560 to purchasethe product. Further, some products are not typically advertised ontelevision. However, if such a company releases a new product that has awide demographic of people who would use the new product, the companymay promote the new produce on television and then drive the subscriberto an online commerce site to allow the subscriber to purchase theproduct.

The system therefore provides a direct or even almost real-timeinteraction with the advertiser through the web sources 520. Inaddition, the interaction is not meant to be limited to purchases. Basedon the profile of the subscriber, interaction with a mobile device andthe ad manager 550 may allow coupons, event tickets, etc. to beprovided.

Thus, advertisements may be targeted for the individual based on theirprofile. However, anyone watching program A may be provided with certaintypes of advertisements as opposed to only certain types ofadvertisements being provided to a particular person based on theirprofile. To prevent disintermediation, an advertisement and relatedsubscriber actions are not passed directly to an online commerce site.Rather, a clearinghouse server is used to deliver the information to theonline commerce site. This allows the services provider to maintaininformation that may be used in negotiations with online commerce sites.Billing and Reporting 570 must support Cost-per-acquisition (CPA)billing model on top of the Cost-per-thousand (CPM) and Cost-per-inquiry(CPI) models.

In addition, high order requirements for fulfillment and advertisingconnections with 3^(rd) parties must include:

-   -   IMDB.com should be available to looking up TV and movie        information    -   Amazon.com should be available to fulfill offers made on the        ads.    -   Data collected in the system must be made available for        supporting advertiser's media purchases.    -   Ad agencies and companies must be able to purchase advertising a        in a manner that is suitable to their current buying systems.    -   Data may be made available for purchase by other 3^(rd) parties        (Nielsen type model).    -   Allow for TV-commerce to be enabled (Full connectivity to        purchase promoted product thru Amazon or advertisers web        purchase location)

FIG. 6 is a flowchart 600 of a method for providing user interactivitywith content provided by a content provider and presented on a displaydevice through use of a mobile device according to an embodiment. Oneskilled in the art will recognize that the order of the steps shown inFIG. 6 is not meant to be limiting and that an embodiment may includeall of the steps or a subset of the steps. Further, the order of atleast some of the steps may be modified. In FIG. 6, a media managementmodule is initiated on a mobile device 610. Content is presented on adisplay device 620. The content may optionally be displayed according toa conditional access device. However, a conditional access device is notnecessary for the implementation of an embodiment. A media managementmodule on the mobile device is used to provide user interactivity withthe content presented on the display device 630.

The mobile device may be coupled to a back office using the mediamanagement module for establishing user preferences associated with themobile device 640. The back office system may also be provided anidentification of a level of information that the user wishes to provide650. Tendencies associated with the user of the mobile device areidentified using a guide and application module in the back office toanalyze preferences associated with the mobile device and to providerecommendations based on the identified tendencies 660. A content guideon the mobile device may be browsed by using the media management moduleto select content and to schedule content for future viewing 670. Theuser may interact with the content to select products for purchase usingthe media management module 680.

FIG. 7 illustrates a suitable computing environment 700 for implementinga system as described above in FIGS. 1-6 according to an embodiment. InFIG. 7, a cross platform smartphone mobile application device 700includes a processor 720 and memory 730. Those skilled in the art willrecognize that the server 700 may be implemented in a head end module, asession resource manager, and other data/content control devices.Embodiments may also be implemented in combination with other types ofcomputer systems and program modules. Generally, program modules includeroutines, programs, components, data structures, and other types ofstructures that perform particular tasks or implement particularabstract data types. By way of example, computer readable media 790 caninclude computer storage media or other tangible media. Computer storagemedia 790 includes volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removablemedia implemented in any method or technology for storage of information792, such as computer readable instructions, data structures, programmodules or other data. Moreover, those skilled in the art willappreciate that the invention may be practiced with other computersystem configurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessorsystems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics,minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. Embodiments may alsobe practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks areperformed by remote processing devices that are linked through acommunications network.

Embodiments implemented on computer-readable media 790 may refer to amass storage device, such as a hard disk or CD-ROM drive. However, itshould be appreciated by those skilled in the art that tangiblecomputer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessedor utilized by a processing device, e.g., server or communicationsnetwork provider infrastructure.

By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media 790 mayinclude, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory orother solid state memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks(“DVD”), or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape,magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any othertangible medium which can be used to store the desired information andwhich can be accessed by a processing device.

As mentioned briefly above, a number of program modules and data filesmay be stored and arranged for controlling the operation of processingdevices. Thus, one or more processing devices 720 may be configured toexecute instructions that perform the operations of embodiments of thepresent invention.

It should also be appreciated that various embodiments of the presentinvention can be implemented (1) as a sequence of computer implementedacts or program modules running on a processing device and/or (2) asinterconnected machine logic circuits or circuit modules within theprocessing devices. The implementation is a matter of choice dependenton the performance requirements. Accordingly, logical operationsincluding related algorithms can be referred to variously as operations,structural devices, acts or modules. It will be recognized by oneskilled in the art that these operations, structural devices, acts andmodules may be implemented in software, firmware, special purposedigital logic, and any combination thereof without deviating from thespirit and scope of the present invention as recited within the claimsset forth herein.

Memory 730 thus may store the computer-executable instructions that,when executed by processor 720, cause the processor 720 to implement across-platform smart phone mobile application server 700 according to anembodiment of the invention as described above with reference to FIGS.1-6.

The foregoing description of the exemplary embodiment of the inventionhas been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. Itis not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to theprecise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possiblein light of the above teaching. It is intended that the scope of theinvention be limited not with this detailed description, but rather bythe claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mobile device comprising: memory for storingdata; and a processor for processing the data, the processor to provide:a media management application configured to: connect the mobile deviceto a preferred television viewing and video programming experience for asubscriber that includes content and information services provided by acontent provider; couple the mobile device to a back office component toestablish user preferences for the subscriber; allow the mobile deviceto operate as a remote control as part of the preferred televisionviewing and video programming experience; select one or more mediaenvironments to control with the mobile device including using theinformation services and supplemental content provided with the contentand related to the information services, wherein the supplementalcontent provided with the content includes an electronic code for use inmessaging by the mobile device as part of enabling user interactivitythat includes information fulfillment requests between the subscriberand the content provider of the information services; convert a firsttype of communication signal to a second type of communication signal inorder to communicate with a conditional access device to receive thecontent, via the conditional access device, from the content provider;and receive, on the mobile device, one or more recommendations foradditional content for viewing, wherein the mobile device operates tosend an electronic message with the electronic code provided with thesupplemental content to a message processing server to direct recording,via a digital video recorder, of the additional content associated withthe electronic code, wherein the mobile device tracks a televisionprogram the subscriber is watching according to a functionalrelationship with the conditional access device using the second type ofcommunication signal.
 2. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the mediamanagement application is further configured to identify time-shiftedcontent and provide interactivity during viewing of the time-shiftedcontent.
 3. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the media managementapplication is further configured to share preferences for viewingrecommendations.
 4. The mobile device of claim 3, wherein the mediamanagement application is further configured to connect to socialnetwork groups to share the preferences including media preferences. 5.The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the media management applicationis further configured to handle a wireless translation as part of theremote control.
 6. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the mediamanagement application is further configured to receive groupsuggestions for suggested content.
 7. The mobile device of claim 1,wherein the media management application is further configured to use areturn path between the mobile device and a data repository to allowcontent providers to message at an individual basis.
 8. The mobiledevice of claim 1, wherein the media management application is furtherconfigured to control a television, playback device, or set-top box. 9.The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the media management applicationis further configured to infer crossover referrals to additional contentnot included as part of a user profile.
 10. The mobile device of claim1, wherein the media management application is further configured toallow a network to enable polling during a live broadcast.
 11. Themobile device of claim 1, wherein the media management application isfurther configured to receive different content according to thereal-time viewing of a program or time delayed viewing of the program.12. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the media managementapplication is further configured to communicate with a back office toprovide subscriber related intelligence.
 13. The mobile device of claim1, wherein the media management application is further configured toallow the subscriber to establish preferences associated with the mobiledevice, process user data associated with the preferences, and providethe one or more recommendations based on identified subscribertendencies.
 14. The mobile device of claim 1 further configured toidentify the content that the subscriber is watching on a display deviceseparate from the mobile device.
 15. A non-transitory computer readablemedium, including executable instructions which, when executed, operateto: connect a mobile device to a preferred television viewing and videoprogramming experience for a subscriber that includes content andinformation services provided by a content provider; couple the mobiledevice to a back office component to establish user preferences for thesubscriber; allow the mobile device to operate as a remote control aspart of the preferred television viewing and video programmingexperience; select one or more media environments to control using themobile device including using the information services and supplementalcontent provided with the content and related to the informationservices, wherein the supplemental content provided with the contentincludes an electronic code for use in messaging by the mobile device aspart of enabling user interactivity that includes informationfulfillment requests between the subscriber and the content provider ofthe information services; convert, via the mobile device, a first typeof communication signal to a second type of communication signal inorder to communicate with a conditional access device to receive thecontent, via the conditional access device, from the content provider;and receive, on the mobile device, one or more recommendations foradditional content for viewing, wherein the executable instructionswhich, when executed, operate further to send an electronic message withthe electronic code provided with the supplemental content, via themobile device, to a message processing server to direct recording, via adigital video recorder, of the additional content associated with theelectronic code, wherein the mobile device tracks a television programthe subscriber is watching according to a functional relationship withthe conditional access device using the second type of communicationsignal.
 16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15,including the executable instructions which, when executed, operatefurther to use a return path between the mobile device and a datarepository to allow content providers to message at an individual basis.17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, includingthe executable instructions which, when executed, operate further to useembedded content identifiers to identify the content that the subscriberis watching.
 18. A system comprising: a server computer configured witha processor and memory to interact with a mobile device to: connect themobile device to a preferred television viewing and video programmingexperience for a subscriber that includes content and informationservices of a content provider; receive user preferences for thesubscriber from the mobile device; receive control commands and feedbackfrom the mobile device; provide the information services andsupplemental content with the content and related to the informationservices to the mobile device, wherein the supplemental content providedwith the content includes an electronic code for use in messaging by themobile device as part of enabling user interactivity that includesinformation fulfillment requests between the subscriber and a contentprovider of the information services; provide one or morerecommendations for additional content for viewing to the mobile device;receive tracking information from the mobile device for a televisionprogram the subscriber is watching according to a functionalrelationship with a conditional access device, wherein the mobile deviceconverts a first type of communication signal to a second type ofcommunication signal in order to communicate with the conditional accessdevice to receive the content from provided by the content provider; andreceive an electronic message with the electronic code provided with thesupplemental content from the mobile device to direct recording, via adigital video recorder, of the additional content associated with theelectronic code.